This readalike is in response to a customer's book-match request. If you would like personalized reading recommendations, fill out the book-match form and a librarian will email suggested titles to you. Available for adults, teens, and kids. You can browse other book matches here.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Meg Murry learns that her astrophysicist father Dr. Alex Murry has exceeded time and space, and is now being held captive on a distant planet. She, her young brother Charles, and classmate Calvin join three astral travelers on a mission to save him and the planet from the utmost evil. (from the list Books on the Big Screen, Winter-Spring 2018)

Will Somers was nobody’s fool—until he became the King’s Fool. Born in the medieval English countryside, he should have led the rest of his life unremarkably, as an undersized farmhand who happened to be able to read and write and add figures—and tell jokes, which there wasn’t much need for on his uncle’s small farm.

The Assistive Services Department of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library is undergoing some exciting new changes. The department is moving to a new, more spacious location within the City of Fredericksburg that provides easier access to the office, with no elevator or stairs required. There will also be more parking, including more handicapped spaces.

It will have blood, they say: blood will have blood.
Stones have been known to move, and trees to speak . . .William Shakespeare, Macbeth

Salem, Massachusetts, is already a town filled with rich and terrible history. But, little does anyone know, for 28 years a notorious cold case has haunted Salem's residents more than the infamous 1692 witch trials.

This readalike is in response to a customer's book-match request. If you would like personalized reading recommendations, fill out the book match form and a librarian will email suggested titles to you. Available for adults, teens, and kids. You can browse other book matches here.

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
"Area X" has claimed the lives of members of eleven expeditions. The twelfth expedition consisting of four women hopes to map the terrain and collect specimens; to record all their observations, scientific and otherwise, of their surroundings and of one another; and, above all, to avoid being contaminated by Area X itself. (catalog summary)

There are two other books, along with a single volume called "Area X" which brings together all three volumes of the Southern Reach Trilogy.

Last week I was on the edge of my seat, along with other lovers of children’s literature, as this year’s Youth Media Awards were announced by the American Library Association. I’m always thrilled when one of my favorites wins, and I rush to read the winners and honor books that I am not familiar with. These books exemplify the richness of children’s literature and are some of the best-of-the-best picture books from 2017.

Elsa Myer has a lot on her hands. Her father (whom she holds plenty against) is dying of cancer. Her other family relations are strained, between her sister and trying to handle her 16-year-old niece, Mel. She also finds herself constantly struggling with the demons of her childhood, wondering when the nightmares and memories will stop. She's just turned 40, after all, and she still dreams of self-harm due to neglect from her long-dead mother.

"We have a gift, and we have a cake, and today we're going to drive all the way to the big city to see my new baby cousin on his zero-year birthday!"

So begins Margarita Engle's joyful picture book, All the Way to Havana. The narrator, a young boy who lives in Cuba, and his family are preparing to go see his new cousin in Havana. They take "Cara Cara," their 1954 blue Chevy that is supposed to purr like a kitten. But Cara Cara is so tired, she just chatters away like a baby chicken: "Pío, pío, pío, pío, pffft." The narrator's father fixes Cara Cara with each clunk clunk, something he does often to the old vintage vehicle.

Women’s History Month is a time to reflect on the contributions of women who changed the world. From the settlement of the new world to espionage during wartime, women have impacted the course of history. During March, set aside time to highlight the accomplishments of women throughout American history. The library has events and resources to help you to learn more.